Weaver Lake Elementary is a STEM Magnet School in the Osseo school district. The Osseo district is located about 20 minutes from Minneapolis in the Northwest suburb of Maple Grove. We are also a part of the Northwest Suburban Integration School District.
Our Team:
Gretchen Peel, Principal
Laurie Toll, Technology Integration Collaborative Teacher
Lisa Koch, Curriculum Integration Coordinator (Team Leader)
Mary Moran, 6th grade teacher
Mary Litwinczuk, Library Media Specialist
Assumptions on the table:
All members will be present and participate in learning
Use of web 2.0 tools with other school groups such as JWG Ning
Dedicated time for reflection and action
What I learn I can use in my teaching
I will be able to complete this work during the school day
I will assume I will learn what I use in my personal life
I assume we will help each other out in this process
We will make time to meet together tous we are maxed out
Through the plp process I expect to learn new technology
I assume we will develop the project together as a team
We will set some goals together and individually for our own personal learning
Uninterrupted time for conversation and collaboration
We will support each other as we personaly try new technologies and share how to's ideas, frustrayion. We will all learn more, share the joy, divide the grief.
I assume that this is going to be overwhelming at times and that is okay.
1/13/10 - 1st round brainstorming
Focus of project - Staff Development
Brainstormed ideas...
21st centurizing staff meetings Digital footprints for staff and school
The power of social networking
Creating community
See the power of collaboration
Digital Citizenship
What is the problem we want to solve? What is the question?
Ideas:
What is Weaver Lake's Digital Footprint?
Is this the digital footprint we want for our school?
What difference does it make?
What would the digital footprint include?
What is the purpose?
What needs to happen to create that digital footprint? (staff conversation, curriculum changes, instruction, assessment, what do we tell parents, district conversations)
2/1/10 - 2nd round on Weaver's Digital footprint
Possibilities: (what the digital footprint could include)
facebook
student portfolios
student projects
incorporating staff - blogs?
Initial assessment:
Write down everything we find about Weaver
Purpose of managing our digital footprint:
Marketing
directly connect with specific audiences
increase attendance
Building a bridge for students (local to world)
Modeling for students
Tools/strategies for developing student dig footprint
2/27: New idea for topic
What do we want to change?
Already piloting a project where students bring their own devices to school. What we would like to change is making it a essential part of our 6th grade student experience. To do this we need data and documentation, assessment and plan for expansion.
Our question:
How can we improve? assess? document and expand?
Will meet to discuss further on Friday, Mar. 5th...Robin Ellis will join us via skype.
3/5/2010
1. The problem or question. What is the problem (or opportunity) you wish to address with your project?
Describe what you wish to change, for example, aspects of content (e.g. test scores), process (e.g. ability to collaborate), climate (e.g. morale), or tech use (e.g. embedded use of technology in instruction). Be as specific as possible in describing what you want to change. What is the problem you want to address? Opportunity?
Access to web based resources for students
utilizing student owned technology
attitudes, this is a parent teacher & system change in attitude
Learning anytime anywhere
Leading to collaboration- to a global level
leading to creating
create digital citizens
From teacher centered to student centered
students have a part in structuring their own learning
Conversation with Robin:
Students becoming more self directed in their learning so what is going to change in the curriculum to make that happen?
Looking at it, documenting it, this could be just a planning phase this year.
What is it that you see as an opportunity that you would like to expand upon and gather data, concrete data evidence that this has made a difference.
Collect evidence: engagement, access, more? better? will learning happen outside the classroom?
Bringing parents on board?
Equity?
Identifying issues that need to be resolved, road blocks to the next level
Idea- use a blog or wiki for parents and or students to post their ideas, and reflection on this project. get feedback form all involved, create opportunities for discussion. Not just our observed experience. This allows you to make your classroom more transparent- creating a running log of how this has changed the teaching and you. this makes it easier to replicate. The classroom does not end at the door of my classroom. You have the ability to invite everyone to come and see so they can see what their kids are doing. Even if parents are lurking they are involved.
The Transparent Classroom.
How open are you going to be in letting others give you feedback? Moderate the blogging comments what is the student responsibility to making the classroom transparent?
2. Objectives and Assessment
Develop objectives and authentic assessments for determining what you want learners (adults or students) to be able to know and do after the project and how you will determine they have indeed mastered the objectives your project laid out.
3. Networked Design
Then think about how you will design your project so participants can share, connect, collaborate, or move to some type of collective action. This is our team, although we can get feedback from students etc,
4. Set the Context
What have others done (at your institution or elsewhere) to address this problem? Do some research as a team to see what others have done. Get ideas. Divi up different research roles to individual team members.
5. Proposal
How will you plan to solve the problem or answer the question? Describe what you will do to address the problem/opportunity described earlier. Are you doing anything differently than others have attempted? Why or why not? Why do you propose that your approach will succeed better than prior attempts or will work better with your students or faculty?
6. Evaluation
How will you determine the success and effectiveness of your solution and the impact of your project? Do you plan to determine pre and post results? How will you know that the behavior of your students/faculty has changed/improved? Note: You may not be able to obtain your results by the end of your year. However, you should have a plan in place to evaluate your project and report on the results. The idea is to develop a solid plan to share with others. If you implement this year or next is entirely up to you. When possible make this an action research project.
7. Timeline
How will your project progress? Indicate the dates of project initiation and completion for each step of your design, implementation, and evaluation.
8. Documentation
How will you document your progress along the way? Will you share in your team group room in NING? Will you create a collaborative blog? A wiki? A Google Doc? Choose one and then everyone will use the document to make the process transparent.
New page for us on a different wiki
Our Team:
Gretchen Peel, Principal
Laurie Toll, Technology Integration Collaborative Teacher
Lisa Koch, Curriculum Integration Coordinator (Team Leader)
Mary Moran, 6th grade teacher
Mary Litwinczuk, Library Media Specialist
Assumptions on the table:
All members will be present and participate in learning
Use of web 2.0 tools with other school groups such as JWG Ning
Dedicated time for reflection and action
What I learn I can use in my teaching
I will be able to complete this work during the school day
I will assume I will learn what I use in my personal life
I assume we will help each other out in this process
We will make time to meet together tous we are maxed out
Through the plp process I expect to learn new technology
I assume we will develop the project together as a team
We will set some goals together and individually for our own personal learning
Uninterrupted time for conversation and collaboration
We will support each other as we personaly try new technologies and share how to's ideas, frustrayion. We will all learn more, share the joy, divide the grief.
I assume that this is going to be overwhelming at times and that is okay.
1/13/10 - 1st round brainstorming
Focus of project - Staff Development
Brainstormed ideas...
21st centurizing staff meetings
Digital footprints for staff and school
The power of social networking
Creating community
See the power of collaboration
Digital Citizenship
What is the problem we want to solve? What is the question?
Ideas:
What is Weaver Lake's Digital Footprint?
Is this the digital footprint we want for our school?
What difference does it make?
What would the digital footprint include?
What is the purpose?
What needs to happen to create that digital footprint? (staff conversation, curriculum changes, instruction, assessment, what do we tell parents, district conversations)
2/1/10 - 2nd round on Weaver's Digital footprint
Possibilities: (what the digital footprint could include)
facebook
student portfolios
student projects
incorporating staff - blogs?
Initial assessment:
Write down everything we find about Weaver
Purpose of managing our digital footprint:
Marketing
- directly connect with specific audiences
- increase attendance
Building a bridge for students (local to world)Action Research - Target one thing at a time....
Resources:
Footprints in the digital age - (by none other than our peep - Will Richardson)
Social Media guide for educators (facebook group for educators - some good resources from Wes Fryer et. al.)
2/27: New idea for topic
What do we want to change?
Already piloting a project where students bring their own devices to school. What we would like to change is making it a essential part of our 6th grade student experience. To do this we need data and documentation, assessment and plan for expansion.
Our question:
How can we improve? assess? document and expand?
Will meet to discuss further on Friday, Mar. 5th...Robin Ellis will join us via skype.
3/5/2010
1. The problem or question. What is the problem (or opportunity) you wish to address with your project?Describe what you wish to change, for example, aspects of content (e.g. test scores), process (e.g. ability to collaborate), climate (e.g. morale), or tech use (e.g. embedded use of technology in instruction). Be as specific as possible in describing what you want to change.
What is the problem you want to address? Opportunity?
- Access to web based resources for students
- utilizing student owned technology
- attitudes, this is a parent teacher & system change in attitude
- Learning anytime anywhere
- Leading to collaboration- to a global level
- leading to creating
- create digital citizens
- From teacher centered to student centered
- students have a part in structuring their own learning
Conversation with Robin:- Students becoming more self directed in their learning so what is going to change in the curriculum to make that happen?
- Looking at it, documenting it, this could be just a planning phase this year.
- What is it that you see as an opportunity that you would like to expand upon and gather data, concrete data evidence that this has made a difference.
- Collect evidence: engagement, access, more? better? will learning happen outside the classroom?
- Bringing parents on board?
- Equity?
- Identifying issues that need to be resolved, road blocks to the next level
Idea- use a blog or wiki for parents and or students to post their ideas, and reflection on this project. get feedback form all involved, create opportunities for discussion. Not just our observed experience. This allows you to make your classroom more transparent- creating a running log of how this has changed the teaching and you. this makes it easier to replicate. The classroom does not end at the door of my classroom. You have the ability to invite everyone to come and see so they can see what their kids are doing. Even if parents are lurking they are involved.The Transparent Classroom.
How open are you going to be in letting others give you feedback? Moderate the blogging comments what is the student responsibility to making the classroom transparent?2. Objectives and Assessment
Develop objectives and authentic assessments for determining what you want learners (adults or students) to be able to know and do after the project and how you will determine they have indeed mastered the objectives your project laid out.
3. Networked Design
Then think about how you will design your project so participants can share, connect, collaborate, or move to some type of collective action. This is our team, although we can get feedback from students etc,
4. Set the Context
What have others done (at your institution or elsewhere) to address this problem? Do some research as a team to see what others have done. Get ideas. Divi up different research roles to individual team members.
5. Proposal
How will you plan to solve the problem or answer the question? Describe what you will do to address the problem/opportunity described earlier. Are you doing anything differently than others have attempted? Why or why not? Why do you propose that your approach will succeed better than prior attempts or will work better with your students or faculty?
6. Evaluation
How will you determine the success and effectiveness of your solution and the impact of your project? Do you plan to determine pre and post results? How will you know that the behavior of your students/faculty has changed/improved? Note: You may not be able to obtain your results by the end of your year. However, you should have a plan in place to evaluate your project and report on the results. The idea is to develop a solid plan to share with others. If you implement this year or next is entirely up to you. When possible make this an action research project.
7. Timeline
How will your project progress? Indicate the dates of project initiation and completion for each step of your design, implementation, and evaluation.
8. Documentation
How will you document your progress along the way? Will you share in your team group room in NING? Will you create a collaborative blog? A wiki? A Google Doc? Choose one and then everyone will use the document to make the process transparent.